In a brief statement, Field said he "never considered leaving Apple" until Tesla came along, but announced he would jump ship as the electric car maker to pursue the dream of "building the best cars in the world."

Field most recently served as Apple's vice president of Mac Hardware Engineering, where he oversaw the development of a bevy of designs, including the iMac desktop and the MacBook Pro and Air notebooks.

He was with the Cupertino, Calif.-based technology giant for nearly five-and-a-half years.

Tesla co-founder and chief executive Elon Musk said in prepared remarks: "Tesla's future depends on engineers who can create the most innovative, technologically advanced vehicles in the world. Doug's experience in both consumer electronics and traditional automotive makes him an important addition to our leadership team."

Field started his career as a development engineer at Ford, leaving after six years in the automotive industry. He also previously served as chief technology officer at Segway, the motorized, technologized scooter company for nine years.